Deeper Thoughts

Deeper Thoughts Must Come Back

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 02:45:00 +0000

It has been very long since the last Deeper Thoughts post, but I am strongly considering bringing the site back. The real question at this point is whether I should incorporate it into the regular site Dave's Movie Reviews or make it a completely separate entity. I guess we will have to see which way is going to work the best. Be on the look out for a post with the final decision. Please let me know if you have any suggestions as to where you would like it to be located.

Deeper Thoughts on Deeper Thoughts

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 15:36:00 +0000

Deeper Thoughts was started with the intention of examining movies in a deeper way. I want to look at the less in your face purpose of films and go the the heart of their meaning; what the director/writer may be really trying to say in the film. This takes more time than I have right now so unfortunately this blog will just sit here until I have the time to really explore the Deeper Thoughts of films. If only we all could be full time bloggers.

Memento

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Tue, 13 May 2008 11:09:00 +0000

Deeper thoughts on Memento (click here for the review)

Memento does enough psychological damage the first time you watch it that it may seem like there is nothing else to talk about as far as the deeper meaning of it all, but we are going to try it anyway. Aside from being a confusing movie upon first viewing, Memento actually holds plenty of depth in life/moral lessons.

Below are a few points that caught my attention when watching Memento. I briefly talk about each topic, but encourage you to add your thoughts in the comments below. A movie can mean a lot of different things to different people, so I would love to read what you think about Memento.

Does vengeance matter?

Throughout Memento Leonard is seeking vengeance to make what was wrong right or to simply feel better. As Leonard gets closer and closer to solving the case and actually getting revenge, it becomes apparent that it will still not give him the one thing he truly wants; his wife back. Although it is human nature to seek vengeance when something awful happens, there is nothing to gain from finally getting it. Leonard finds this out the hard way by living it out everyday.

People lie to themselves to be happy

This one is obvious with Leonard actually saying that he lies to himself to make himself happy and give his life meaning. This is a basic instinct which Christopher Nolan is presenting to us possibly as a bad thing. For the average person it would not necessarily seem like a bad thing to lie to themselves to make them feel better, but when Leonard does it, it has grave consequences especially for Teddy. Also, remember Sammy Jenkins.

Nolan presents this to the viewers in a way which will likely not hit unless it is really thought about, but it hints that lying to yourself is not a good thing.

Finding the Purpose in Your Life

No doubt Nolan was heavily emphasizing the human need to have purpose for life. Leonard is in a situation where he feels if he does not seek vengeance for what happened he will feel as though his life has no purpose. There is a human need for purpose in life and each person has a different view of what that purpose is.

Opportunity to do the right thing

Leonard has the opportunity to do the right thing at one point in the movie even with his condition. For a moment he has figured out who Teddy is and has a choice to both spare Teddy and try to change his own life’s direction or to simply continue on the same path and take Teddy out of the equation so that he can move on. Leonard’s choice is to get rid of the person he feels is taking advantage of him in the hopes that this time he will move on with his life.

Everyone has the chance to change their own life in seemingly short windows of opportunity. Fortunately for us we have the opportunity to make the decisions again and again where as Leonard only has this one small moment of understanding which could determine the rest of his life. Nolan begs the viewer to put themselves in Leonard’s shoes when making choices in life and make sure they make the right decisions.

Deeper Thoughts Is Coming Back

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Mon, 12 May 2008 14:42:00 +0000

I have been working on the first DT post in a while and I am going to try and start making a better habit of posting posts here. I encourage you to give feedback on the posts and let me know if it is something you like to read or if there is a different direction or format you would like to have for the Deeper Thoughts posts. The Deeper Thoughts blog is all about the comments so I need to have a posts that encourage comments. This means I need your feedback, so please give me your criticism.

You may wonder where I went?

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 13:15:00 +0000

The truth is I really want to make this blog soar, but I have yet to get it rolling. There is a post coming in the near future which I hope to use to kick start this blog again. Don't lose hope in the potential of this blog. It is going to be a lot of fun once I get the right type of movies on it. Thumbsucker was just a little bit too small scale. I am going to have to concentrate on movies that have been seen by more people and I think that will get it going. If you have any suggestions, please comment below.

Thanks for your support.

What Does It Mean To Be A THUMBSUCKER?

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 01:20:00 +0000

Deeper Thoughts About Thumbsucker

For the review click here.

Brief Overview

Although I recommend actually watching the movie before delving into this post, here is a brief look at Thumbsucker. Thumbsucker is about a teenager that is struggling to find confidence and direction in his life. He is on the debate team and can't even get up in front of the class without wanting to suck his thumb. He ends up meeting new people and trying new things as he learns to deal with his problems and tries to find himself. Yes; it is a brief overview. If you are looking for more overview, then please read the review here.

Topic of Focus

There are a few topics that float around during the film, but the one that stands out frequently is finding yourself. This is the broad and overall focus of Thumbsucker and can be demonstrated throughout the film. Justin is constantly hiding from others showing that he is not confident around other people and this stems from his own lack of self-esteem. Throughout the movie Justin tries different tactics to find himself and feel normal. First he resorts to the simple thing that he knows best; sucking his thumb. Of course this tactic is not the most appealing for his father and even for him as he has to hide it from the other students.

Then Justin starts acting up in school and actually getting himself in trouble to try and combat his lack of self-esteem. As the movie progresses, the school convinces him and his parents that he needs drugs for ADD or ADHD to help him concentrate in school. Justin believes that the drugs will help him because he is desperate to be "normal." In the end it boils down to his quest to find himself and be happy with who he is so that he can truly be happy.

Although it would seem that Justin is the only one in the movie who is being used as an example, it is actually everyone in the movie that shows this struggle. Justin's mother, dentist, girl friend, father, teacher, and others that he knows are all trying to figure out what they are trying to be. At first glance we only focus on Justin's problems, but when you step back you realize that the movie is talking about all of us.

Overall Mood

The mood of the film is subtle, but happy. There is conflict which obviously dampens the mood, but overall the light jokes and strange interactions keep the film very light and enjoyable. There is also a sad tone to this movie however. Justin is alone and the director has made an effort to make the viewer get into this lonely world. This is shown even from the very beginning of the movie. The music is almost sad and lonely while you are flooded with only pictures of solitary moments of the day. Overall the mood is happy with sad overtones throughout to bring the viewer back to the loneliness constantly.

Visual Queues

The opening sequence is shot with a blue overtone that says sad and lonely from the start. Immediately after going through a sequence of shots that show empty streets and quiet places it shows Justin in the clouds by himself and then his parents walk up to him. His reaction says it all; he is alone in the world and the only people who are there for him are his parents which he doesn't even want to communicate with. This only deepens his loneliness.

Deeper Dialogue

Justin often refers to his parents by their first name even though they are his real parents. This not only shows his separation from his parents, but his complete struggle to accept who he is and the life that he has. Keanu Reeves gives the words that encourage Justin to branch out and try different things to overcome his problem. This only begins the process for Justin to overcome. Vince Vaughn is the voice of reason, but is not even sure in himself. This character truly wants the best for Justin, but doesn't know what Justin needs and will not even stand up for what he thinks is right when the school suggests the medicine. Justin's mom also has tendencies to appear as though she is unstable as she is the one that he seems to converse with the most of his two parents. It seems that as the movie progresses that Justin is really not the only one who is trying to find himself. Actually every other major character in the movie is trying to figure out what they are trying to do with their lives. This is what eventually contributes to Justin's solution. He realizes that he is just like everyone else. Everyone is searching to find who they are and it is how each person tries to do that that defines us as people.

What This All Means

Thumbsucker is on the surface only about a teenager trying to stop sucking his thumb, but a deeper look reveals much more. This movie is about not just a teenager's struggle to find himself, but the struggle of all people to find themselves. The interactions between teenagers, parents and schools, and society and its determination to stifle peoples free will are also shown by Justin's interactions with the people around him. The parents and teachers at school are in the same position as Justin is, but do not want to admit it. They think that they can fix the problem by simply giving Justin medicine. This shows that society as a whole just wants to block out everything to make everything seem easier, but it just continues to spiral more and more out of control until you address it like Justin was finally able to do in the end. Justin is the example of what can happen when someone feels trapped by society and forced to be someone that he is not. In Justin's case the only thing that he felt that he could do is cower down and suck his thumb. Justin being a thumb sucker represents individuals that feel so stressed by the continually more hectic environment around them that they completely shut down and try to block out the world. This movie is a lesson to those of us who feel that our lives are too stressful to handle. Our lives are not too stressful if we allow ourselves to relax and enjoy life and accept things the way that they are.

The Editor's Thoughts

Thumbsucker meant a lot more to me than just quality filmmaking. It was quite evident that the filmmakers wanted to bring home a message about life and society. There are so many things that this movie may be trying to say that it almost seems scattered, but raises enough issues with society that it allows us to question not only who we are as an individual, but how society should be as a whole.

Now it is time to hear what you have to say about Thumbsucker.

Deeper Thoughts Blog Comes Back to Blogger

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 03:11:00 +0000

Wordpress was supposed to give me more freedom with the way things were posted, but it seems that is only if you are able to download the program and get it working. I have decided to stick with Blogger for now. Blogger works just fine and I have learned how to use it pretty well so I think that this will work better for everyone.

So what does that mean for you? Well, Deeper Thoughts is going to be up soon with Thumbsucker being the first movie on the blog. I am going to have a give away to promote the first movie on Deeper Thoughts, so be on the look out for the exact details and when the post is up.